The Mournful Past of Lync Volan
by Dreamflight4798
Summary: Lync tried to do the right thing for once, and was caught by Hydron, and sentenced to the death bomb. After his last thumbs-up, Lync finds himself in a barren wasteland. His rep among the Vexos says he is a greedy little backstaber, but he lived an average middle-class life once. An average life, but with overly ambitious parents...
1. Stuck somewhere

**Okay, got a request for this one. Really don't have much of this planned, so it will be written whenever I have a brain wave about another detail.**

**Lync: Nice to know that you don't know what my past is supposed to be like.**

**Shadow:*laughing***

**Mylene: Shut up. You know that dreamflight only has vague ideas about any of her stories.**

**Yumeí: How about you shut up Mylene? You too Shadow.**

**Dream: Remember, I only own the plot and the OC's.**

* * *

Lync crouched on the edge of a rugged black cliff overlooking a large amethyst dome. Ever since the death bomb had dropped him off here, he hadn't moved or said a word. He was terrified out of his wits. Being faced by a crazy Hydron with Alice's life at stake was frightening enough, but the mysterious place he was in now was even worse.

It wasn't the loneliness that was getting to him-he'd had plenty of practice with _that_-but it was the unknown quality about the place. It felt like a place that had once been full of pain and suffering, and even if that time had ended, the stain on the place was near tangent in the atmosphere.

_Oh great_, he thought._ I'm turning into a poet_.

That single word was near enough to bring back a deluge of painful memories. The hard work, stern disapproval emanating from the adults, the feeling of exile within the walls of his own home...

Too often in his childhood, Lync had been ordered to walk on a single thread of perfection, and not to even struggle for his balance. Often being having his wants rejected had given rise to an unending desire for anything denied to him. Too often he sought solitude and would fume about the injustice he had suffered.

Lync was able to easily blame his parents for what he had become, though deep down, he knew that at least in part that it was himself to blame. He was just eternally grateful that Elrin hadn't been caught in the crossfire.

Turning away from the amethyst dome, Lync found a small niche in the rock where he could hide out. He wondered what Elrin was doing now. It had been almost a year since he'd last seen her. He'd still been so innocent compared to what he'd become in the Vexos.

He checked for other people once more and found nothing. Feeling safe enough, Lync let his mind wander through his memories.

* * *

**Okay, this was not very smooth.**

**Lync: I thought it was _okay_. Despite that you were totally _winging it_...**

**Dream: GIVE IT A REST!**

**Yumeí: Please review.**


	2. School

******I think I'm obsessed with five year olds.**

******Lync: What makes you say that?**

******Dream: Every. Single. Time.**

******Lync: ?**

******Yumeí: She means that every time she writes a backstory, her first chapter describes the person as a five-year old.**

******Ren: Is there a reason why?**

******Dream: Well-Wait, when did you get here?!**

******Ren: That is a very good question.**

******Yumeí: *to Lync* I guess we'll never know.**

******Lync: Dang it.**

******Dream: Plz keep in mind that I only own plot and OC's.**

* * *

Lync walked through the front doors of his home, his schoolbag over his shoulder. He was a little nervous about meeting with his parents today; they could be scary at times.

Lync managed to get inside, kick off his shoes, and get a drink of water by the time his mother found him.

"Welcome home, Lync," she said softly. "How did school go today?"

Lync cringed. It was always terrifying to tell his mother what happened at school because he wasn't sure what she wanted from him. It made him nervous. He absentmindedly played with a piece of string as he slowly answered.

"It was...good. We got to do art today. And I wrote a poem that the teacher put a sticker on."

His mother nodded, smiling. Lync relaxed. She wasn't mad.

"Well, why don't you go upstairs and do your homework?" His mother suggested. Lync nodded in agreement and began to lug his backpack up the stairs. He entered his room, opened his backpack, and puled out the folder of his assignments.

As he sat at his desk, he wondered if other kids his age did this. He had been enrolled to an advanced placement school, where the work seemed harder. His mother and father wanted him to be the best in class, but he'd been keeping a big secret: out of the twenty children in his class, he was right in the bottom group.

By ordinary school standards, Lync was very smart. But when he was compared with other highly learned children, he was below the average in everything but writing. His occasional wit made him a good poet, but the only other talent he had was at art and hand crafts.

If his parents knew...Lync shuddered at the very thought. They would be mad. Very mad.

It was a good thing that grades and tests wouldn't be administrated until the next semester. By then, he was sure that he would catch up with his peers.

Lync began to write out his math on a sheet of paper and began to work out the calculations. Three hours later, he was finished.

* * *

**Yumeí: That is just cruel. I thought I had it bad with Grandpa, but...GEEZ!**

**Volt: *to Lync* I feel your pain.**

**Shadow: Me too. Sort of.**

**Dream: Hmmm. Well, who wants to help me cook dinner?**

**Shadow: Not it.**

**Mylene: I'm out.**

**Volt: Not gonna happen.**

**Yumeí: I'll do it!**

**Dream: Okay! :) *looks at reader* Review please.**

**Yumeí: *from the kitchen* Are we making pasta?**


	3. Sisterly Love

**Lync: Nobody pay any mind to me if I start to cry.**

**Shadow:?**

**Yumeí: It's okay Lync, I almost cried too.**

**Dream: This is a bittersweet moment, for sure.**

**Shadow: Will someone tell me what's going on?**

* * *

Lync swallowed hard. His progress report had come in the mail today. He had managed to keep his grades at the top of the scale, but now, in fifth grade, his own inability caught up with him.

Lync carefully entered the house, then crept up the stairs. He was almost to the top when his father yelled "LYNC!" and froze him in mid-step. Grimacing, Lync walked into the Living Room where his parents sat waiting.

"We received your progress report," his mother said, her voice steely. "We are very disappointed with you."

"Come on!" Lync cried. "I barely pass _one_ class, and you get all upset?!"

"If you are going to fail school, then you are going to fail life, son." His father interjected. "Do you know why we put you in that school?"

"So that when I graduate, I'll be smart enough to attend collage," Lync said tonelessly. "And after I graduate collage, I can get a big job that pays a lot of money, then give you a generous amount of funds for whatever you might need."

"Exactly," his mother nodded, ignoring the last part; it was true, and all three of them knew it. "You know what we expect from you, so why aren't you doing it?"

Lync shrugged. He knew why: the work the school was throwing at him was more than he was ready for. But if he told his parents that, they would say he was just being lazy. He patiently waited out the rest of the lecture, then excused himself.

Lync went upstairs, but did't go into his room. Instead, he walked down the hall and into his sister's bedroom. He found his eight year old sister reading on the floor out of a very thick book. Lync sat next to her, and she closed the book to look at him.

"Did they find out?" she asked in her sweet little voice. Lync nodded. He had confided in his sister about his failing grade, and she had kept her promise not to tell.

"Are you in trouble?"

"Elrin," Lync sighed. "I'm _always_ getting into trouble with them. They want me to be perfect, but I'm not like you. I can't be _perfect_. It's impossible for me."

Unlike him, Elrin was everything their parents wished for: she was intelligent, beautiful, had slight wit, and was moderately good at physical activity. Their showered praises upon Elrin, while Lync was all but abandoned. This hadn't stopped a powerful affection between the siblings from forming; Elrin loved Lync and he loved her back. He protected her from whatever she needed, and she gave him a reason to keep trying.

Lync looked into his little sister's eyes, their color mirroring his. He rifled her pink hair, a color only two shades lighter than his own. She returned the gesture playfully.

Lync might sometimes feel alone, but it was good to have a sister like Elrin.

* * *

**Volt: Must be nice knowing you can rely on family.**

**Yumeí: *hits Volt's arm* We don't need you bringing up your issues right now. Lync had to leave, this was so emotional for him!**

**Dream: Someone pass me a tissue.**


	4. Broken

**Lync: Dreamflight, can I go hide under your bed for a few hours?**

**Dream: Can you fit under there?**

**Volt: More than likely. What you should be asking is _why_.**

**Dream: But I already _know_ why.**

**Shadow: What? I'm lost.**

**Yumeí: *whispering*No surprise there.**

**Mylene: Lync's suffering from post-traumatic stress.**

**Shadow: About _what_?**

**Yumeí: I think we're about to find out.**

* * *

Lync slowly walked to doors that led to his mother's at-home office. She was working, but he _really_ needed to talk with her. He was wrestling with the indecision when he heard his name from behind the door. Pressing his ear to the crack at the door, he listened as hard as he could. It sounded like his mother was talking to one of her friends.

"I finally have the child I always wanted," she was saying. "Elrin is smart, beautiful, witty-oh, I just can't stop adoring her!"

"What about your son?" Her friend asked.

"Lync?" His mother laughed. "He's such a dull child, all he can do is study. If you just look at him you can tell he has no individuality."

Lync felt a ball of shock explode inside him. His own _mother_ had just said that. His mother had just called him dull, stupid, and monotonous while only saying one of those words in her conversation. He couldn't bear it any more; he pushed open the door.

His mother said to her friend, "I'll call you back later," hastily and turned to face him, smiling.

"Hello Lync," she said. "Is there something you wanted to ask me? You seem to need an answer."

"Just one," Lync said, all feeling gone from his voice. "Why did you say that?" His mother's smile faded as she watched him almost curiously. "Am I really that...dull? A dull child?"

"You make it sound like it's my fault," she answered. "Humph. Well, maybe it is my fault that you turned out like this."

Lync couldn't bear to hear anymore; he turned and ran. Down the stairs, out the door, and kept going. He was blind with shock and did not know where he was going, just that he needed to get away. Away from the ones who had piled their ambitions on him, then had cast him aside the minute they had a better asset.

Only when his legs collapsed, and he fell, scraping the heels of his hands on the rough ground did he stop. He gasped for breath and began to cry at the same time. He was hurting, both inside and out.

He looked up and saw several stacked boxes in perfect form to his side. The exactness of the boxes scared him. They reminded him of the demands to be perfect. He ran to the tower of boxes and toppled them, sheets of paper flying out of them, making pandemonium. Every sign of order he could see, he destroyed, sobbing.

When all the perfection in the immediate area was demolished, Lync fell to his knees, exhausted; he sat there panting.

Footsteps came up behind him, and Lync looked wildly around until he saw a kid a few years older than him. The kid was wild looking, bright silver hair standing nearly on end, red eyes bloodshot, clothes torn, barefoot, and covered in bruises. A slum kid. Probably in the Gangs.

"What are you doing here?" the strange boy asked, his head cocking to one side. Lync just stared at him.

"Let me guess," the kid said, straightening up and closing his eyes. "you ran away?" Lync nodded. The slum kid sighed.

"The slums aren't the place where your kind should go. You better go back."

Lync didn't like the way this kid talked to him. The way he said "your kind" made Lync angry. The slum kid saw the fiery look and took it as disagreement, and shrugged in defeat.

"I got a place where you can sleep for tonight. But you gotta go back tomorrow, otherwise there are gonna be hard questions you don't want to answer."

The slum kid turned and walked away. Lync trailed after him.

They wove through the decrypt buildings, going deeper into the slums than Lync would have ever gone before. He stared at the state of living in open wonder. Finally the slum kid led him to a half collapsed building and slid in through a small opening. Lync followed and found a small domed room with a bag laying at one end.

The slum kid walked past Lync, saying as he did so: "Don't mess this place up, or I will hurt you."

Lync laid down on the rough ground and stared up at the metal support beams that crisscrossed the makeshift roof. He felt so upset, angry, and yet relieved. Angry and upset because of his parents, but relieved to finally know the truth, that he now knew where he stood.

Now the only question was how to get back at them...

* * *

**Yumeí: This officially makes a pattern.**

**Shadow: Yep.**

**Dream: I'm good at writing Dramas. :3**

**Mylene: And speaking of this _particular_ drama...**

**Dream: Right. This was based off Machi Kuragi's breakdown from _Fruits Basket._**

**Lync: (Do I even have to say it ?) Review Please.**


	5. Trader

**Ah, the black market trade.**

**Yumeí: Seriously? That's how you got revenge on your parents?**

**Lync: I have no idea if they even knew I was involved. Just that I was a dropout.**

**Volt: You dropped out of middle school?**

**Lync: Yep.**

**Mylene: Your revenge doesn't seem very effective. They didn't even know.**

**Lync: It was a _personal_ revenge. Ugh! You know what? I give up.**

**Dream: Kinda hard not to.**

* * *

Lync stood casually against the wall, waiting for someone to come close enough. It happened thirty seconds later: he swiped a music played from a teenager's halfway open backpack. He pocketed it before snatching a cheap bracelet right off the wrist of a passing woman.

His new game was quite fun; Lync enjoyed being clever and quick enough to fetch a profit from the inter-city black market. He was a carrier/trader, as his kind were called: smart enough to steal without getting caught, free enough to not be missed after dark, and willing to bring new goods into the rotation of the stock.

Lync had found that from 7-8 AM and 5-7 PM were the best times to collect items: lots of people in the same area. Plenty of goods to lift out of the bags of unwary citizens. It wasn't difficult to nab items, particularly when the owners left them tantalizingly within reach.

Soon, the flow of Comers and Goers thinned and Lync began to stand out: a middle school kid not in school, with a very full backpack. Lync put his new catches into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and went for a quick walk into one of the neighborhoods nearby. He found the correct address and knocked on the door.

A middle aged woman with teal hair answered the door; she studied Lync with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I want to try and alleviate a problem you have," Lync said, reminding himself forcibly of a salesman. "I have heard that there has been some trouble in your home."

"You mean the trouble that started eleven months ago, about the time you were kicked out of school?" she said, eyebrows raised. Lync ignored this.

"Your home has been robbed multiple times in the past six months. For the correct amount of money, I can make that stop."

"So you're offering me protection," she said, crossing her arms. "From _you_."

"From an unnamed hooligan," Lync corrected her.

"Named Lync."

"Who hurt you so bad you can't trust?" Lync asked, trying to sound wounded. The woman sighed.

"Alright, I'll think about it."

"You better hurry up with your choice," Lync said slyly. "You have places to be."

Lync left the house, laughing quietly to himself. He'd been stealing from her house for several months, and she'd almost caught him a few weeks back, but didn't have any evidence to get him thrown in jail. She was helpless against his antics.

_I love my job_, he thought.

**_*That night*_**

Lync stood in the shadows, waiting to see if anyone showed up. He was waiting in an slum alley, not too far from his home. If someone wanted quality item and had something to trade for it, he was here for two hours every other night.

It didn't take long for the alley to become a hub of hushed conversation as more traders and carriers arrived, along with prospective customers.

Lync traded off a few cheap bracelets in exchange for carefully carved charms strung on strings, and the music player went to a large, scarred boy with burnt orange hair, who traded it for two pocketknives. Through his two hours, he gave up his rare items to Slum kids who had anything worth trading. When it was finally time to leave, Lync packed up his gear and left.

Once he got home, he'd have a good four to five hours to sleep before he had to wake up at 6 AM to do another black market trading, but this time on the opposite side of town: the rich side. Rich kids could actually give cash for the goods their parents didn't want them to have.

Lync walked quietly into his house well after midnight, walked up the stairs, and dropped off his schoolbag in his room. Then he quietly walked down the hall, to Elrin's room. When he walked in, she didn't stir.

Lync sat on the edge of her be and listened to her breathing. He listened for what seemed like forever. Then he stood up, ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it neatly, before returning to his own room and falling asleep.

* * *

**Yumeí: That last part is sweet.**

**Lync: She's a good little sister.**

**Shadow: Does anyone mind if I gag?**

**Dream+Yumeí+Lync: YES.**

**Dream: We do mind.**

**Mylene: Review and tell us what you think.**


	6. Farewell

******_Prepare yourself for a heart-rending moment!_**

******Lync: You're going to make me cry.**

******Shadow: I want to see this.**

******Yumeí: *punches Shadow on the arm* Show some respect.**

******Volt: I agree with her for once.**

******Dream: Yeah, before this gets too ugly, maybe we should just tell this part of the story.**

******Lync: I'm leaving, before I break down completely.**

* * *

Lync looked at the advertisement on the screen again.

_**Come live on New Vestroia! An open world full of new opportunity! Buy a ticket pass on Alpha City now!**_

It was a cheesy ad, but it seemed promising. Lync was very aware of how much money it would cost to live on New Vestroia. If his swift, mental calculations were accurate, then he had earned just enough money from two years on the black market to live in Alpha City. It would mean leaving his homeworld, but he would get a new chance at life. Lync had admitted to himself that working on the Black Market was beneath his potential, and now he could go and restart.

The only twinge of regret he had was that he didn't have enough money to bring one more person...

*.*

Lync double checked the supplies in his bag for the twelfth time. He triple checked that he had his pass in his back pocket, then began writing a note:

_Mother and Father,_

_I will be long gone by the time you read this. Don't bother trying to reclaim me as your son once you learn where I have gone._

_You thought I wasn't good enough for you. You never denied it. Well, you should have paid more attention to me, then maybe you would have realized how beneficial I could have been to you._

_I am leaving Vestal. It was never truly my home here. I will make myself a new home, my own home, on New Vestroia._

_I won't be coming back. You have lost your only son through your own doings. When you regret neglecting me, and think "if only", then my revenge will be complete._

_Next time, maybe you'll think about the consequences of abuse._

_~Lync._

He folded his note in half and placed it on the clean surface of his desk. Then he realized that the door was open, and someone was standing in the doorway.

"Lync, what are you doing?"

He turned around and saw Elrin looking at him, her brow furrowed in concern. Lync sighed.

"You know what I'm doing. I'm leaving. For good this time."

"Why?" she asked, walking closer.

Lync looked into his eleven-year old sister's lovely, innocent face. He felt immensely sad that he couldn't take her along, save her from his parents. But this was where she belonged.

"I can't live here any longer," Lync answered, turning away. "Our parents don't care about me. Every time I walk in the door, they look down on me, like I'm some piece of trash. They don't talk to me anymore, but I hear them talking about me, behind my back, saying how I'm such a terrible son. But I don't need them to survive anymore. I can live by myself now. And that's what I plan to do. I'm going to New Vestroia, to live _my_ life."

Elrin sadly looked at the bags Lync had piled on the floor. Lync knew that she would miss him, but she wouldn't stand in his way. So unlike his parents would.

He stepped forward and hugged her. Elrin hugged him back. They stood there for a long moment before she whispered, "You're only thirteen."

"I'll be fourteen in a few weeks," Lync argued. Elrin was quiet. Lync pulled out of the embrace and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I promise, I'll still make contact with you."

Elrin nodded. Lync dropped his hands and bent down to retrieve his bags. When he all had them secured, he rifled Elrin's hair one more time, opened the window, and began to climb down.

* * *

**Yumeí: What were you climbing down?**

**Lync: The side of my house.**

**Yumeí: But-**

**Dream: Yumeí, I don't have time for technicalities. I woke up at 5:30.**

**Mylene: You always wake up at that time on weekdays.**

**Dream:...Yeah, but I'm still tired.**

**Volt: Review please.**


	7. Happy?

**Hmmmm...**

**Yumeí: What ya thinkin' about.**

**Dream: Dramatic character change.**

**Lync: Why do I get the feeling that you're talking about me?**

**Yumeí: Why are you here?**

**Lync: It's my story, isn't it?**

**Dream: Let's not have this argument again. Read and review, my faithful audience!**

* * *

Lync tossed Altair up again, and caught him effortlessly. Being in the Vexos was really sweet, even if Hydron was a spoiled brat.

Lync had noticed a change in his own nature since coming: it had started during the Ventus Battle Tournament. He'd found that he had a natural gift for battling, and that those skills could pay off. Big time. Anything was possible.

Being in the Vexos was a dream come true: he was treated like he mattered, he got anything he wanted when he wanted it, he was rich, and yeah, it was a real pain to take orders from Hydron, but Lync knew that gaining the Prince's favor was invaluable.

Lync wasn't exactly high up on the totem pole. In fact, he was exactly the opposite; he was the weakest member of the Vexos, never winning without help from one of the others. It really got him upset, but the tiny consolation was that even if he was a weak battler by Vexos standard, he was definitely one of the most cunning of the group, never letting anyone know exactly how smart he was.

Elrin had faded into memory and Lync barely thought about her anymore; his goals in rising among the Vexos were more immidiate than a little sister hundreds of thousands of miles away in space.

Lync looked at Altair resting in his hand. For an almighty mechanical Bakugan, Altair was really pathetic compared to his successor, Hades. Lync still wondered what happened: during his testing with Altair, he'd never shown the slightest flaw, but when he'd tried battling Mira, Altair had suddenly been breaking down every battle. Professor Clay was working on upgrading Altair's blueprints to help upgrade him into a more powerful form. Lync didn't know if it was worth the effort. Maybe it was better to get a new Mechanical Bakugan.

Lync looked out the window and watched the wind blow dust into the air. Sometimes he wondered what he was really looking for. He wanted to be happy, but he never seemed to be able to get it. Sometimes, it seemed so close he could just take it, but it was always eternally out of reach.

Lync walked away, Altair stored in his pocket. Sooner or later he would find it. He was certain.

* * *

**Ah, Lync has found the great quest of life.**

**Yumeí: The quest for money?**

**Dream: No! The quest to be happy!**

**Yumeí: If you say so. I'm on the quest for food right now.**

**Dream: I keep telling you to eat breakfast!**

**Yumeí: I don't have time! I'm following you around at 5:30 AM!**

**Lync: Will you please stop?**


	8. Alice

**Lync: I want to hear _nothing_ out of _anyone_. *glares at everyone in the room***

**Yumeí: The almighty duct tape will keep Shadow quiet.**

**Shadow: *from behind the duct tape* Mmmmmmmmph! (Translation: I am killing the next person who comes close to me!)**

**Yumeí: But no amount of this tape will contain me!**

**Volt: I am fully willing to believe that.**

**Lync: Do I make fun of your relationships?**

**Dream: Can anyone guess where this is going?**

* * *

Something outside made a noise, some kind of bird flying away. Lync shivered on the couch. He hadn't been able to relax very well since coming to Earth, so sleeping was not an option. The only thing he could do was think.

He vaguely wondered how long it would take for the old man to fix the dimension transporter and get him back home. Dimension transporter, his foot! That thing was so behind Vestal technology, it would take the humans a million years to reach where the Vestals were today.

Lync sighed and rolled over on the cushions so he was facing the window. He stared up at the night sky and looked at the unfamiliar constellations. One of them looked like a giant spoon.

One of those distant points of light had to be Vestal, or at least a star close to it. For the first time in a while, Lync missed his little sister. The pain had flared up when he'd realized that Alice bore a distinct resemblance to Elrin: the way their bangs hung down on their foreheads, the shape of their eyes, even their voices were alike.

Reviewing this information made Lync start thinking about Alice.

She was so kind to him, but he was the enemy. One of the Vexos. Why? He had done nothing but cause her friends grief-something he enjoyed. But instead of letting him die out in the cold or starve, Alice had let him into her home. She didn't trust him, but she was still giving him food, and shelter until he could go home.

He was confused by her kindness: Vestals had never been as kind.

In a recent study, it had been proven that Vestal DNA was exactly 76% identical to human. Lync was wondering if behavioral patterns were in the differentiating 24%. It would explain why the humans liked to interfere so much, But he wasn't sure: maybe it was the Vexos that were weird, not the humans.

Sighing, Lync rolled over again. Reaching inside his shirt, he found a chain and pulled it out. He'd almost forgotten it was there. On the end of the fine bronze chain was a locket, sealed shut. Though he couldn't look inside, he knew what the small space was hiding: a photo of himself and Elrin.

His little sister, locked away with his heart.

Using his nimble fingers, he undid the twisted wire that he'd used as a seal, to keep the photo hidden, to keep his feelings packed away. The locket fell open and he looked at the photo. Tears began to slide down his face.

* * *

**Dream: I foresee two people sitting in a tree.**

**Yumeí: Are they K-I-S-S-?**

**Lync: Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence!**

**Dream: Possibly. But the people in the tree are dependent on who is hearing my prophesy.**

**Shadow: *muffled laughing from behind tape***

**Mylene: Review before Armageddon happens**.


	9. To Bomb, or Not to Bomb(?)

**Winter break, the only thing keeping me from finishing the flashbacks sooner.**

**Lync: Yes, I would like you to get _out_ of my _head_ right about now...**

**Volt: If you don't hear from me for a few months, blame this person. *points at Dream***

**Shadow: Come on, Volt! You still have a little more time!**

**Lync: So...this isn't the last chapter?**

**Dream: I never said it was. Let us all press on!**

**Mylene: Has anyone seen Yumeí?**

* * *

Lync was lying on the floor of his room, thinking. Thinking about loss.

He'd lost his parent's appreciation (not that it mattered to him anymore, just one more thing to put on the list) Elrin's company, a place on his home planet, Altair, Alice's trust, and now a teammate.

Volt's words were still echoing inside his mind: _"But this new mission of yours is wrong. It involves the destruction of innocents. It's not cool to punish people who did nothing to harm us. I won't do it!"_

"Innocents..." Lync whispered. His pessimistic side was telling him no one was truly innocent. But Lync's reason countered his pessimism, reminding him that Volt meant innocents of their missions, those who had never been involved with the Vexos conflicts.

The word _innocent_ was almost alien to Lync's mind. It had been so long since he'd ever needed to apply the word. In retrospect it was ridiculous, because he was most definately _not_ in the innocent catagory while nearly everyone else he knew of _was_.

"Bitter Irony," he said. "That's what this is."

Thoughts whirling in a disorganized frenzy, Lync began to ask his questions aloud to better find the answers he was seeking.

"Why does Al-" he broke off, then restarted. "Why does Vestal, New Vestroia, or Earth need to be destroyed? It's like Volt said, most of the populations are innocent. And it's not like I wanted to go back to Vestal anyway...Yeah, the resistence handed our butts to us-more than once-but even so, killing them off is a bit extreme for us Vexos. Okay, maybe not Mylene, but-"

The truth hit him like a slap in the face.

"It's not us," he whispered. "We didn't make the decision. Zenoheld did. We're just following his orders. _He's_ the one who wants three planets blown to smithereens."

Lync paused and did some mental math, his alarm rising as the numbers rose to an overwhelming height. One planet meant billions of inhabitants. Three planets meant trillions-maybe even quadrillions or quintillions-of inhabitants. And Zenoheld wanted each and every one of those living beings destroyed.

Thinking numerically helped Lync realized exactly what scale of war Zenoheld was waging. The destruction rate using the alternative system would be _massive_. If he achieved his goal, the blood of every single life taken would be on his hands. And the hands of the Vexos.

Lync sat up and looked at his hands. They were small and nimble, but surprisingly capable. Using his skilled fingers, Lync could pick locks, commit his thoughts to databases or paper, and make careful creations out of nearly any given material. They weren't hands for killing. They were hands for making and gaining.

Lync's heart froze in his chest. He suddenly thought of Elrin, and the situation suddenly escalated.

There was no way he could let Zenoheld kill his little sister. As sure as his name was Lync Volan, that would never happen.

* * *

**Dream: Ah, it's FINALLY done.**

**Volt: Please write this slow. I don't want it to be my turn.**

**Ash: *evil grin* Actually Dream, it wouldn't hurt to hurry this up.**

**Dream: You've been talking to Tabitha again, haven't you?**

**Ash: *shrug* The other side of me still doesn't like being called 'blackbird'.**

**Volt: I'm not apologizing.**

**Mylene: Am I the _only one_ who is worried that Yumeí vanished?**

***THE EARTH ABRUPTLY STOPS SPINNING AND WE ARE ALL FLUNG INTO SPACE***


	10. Epilogue

**Dream: Okay, after that rather catastrophic event, we are now floating through space. Luckily I have my laptop, so the story can be finished. This is really the last chapter, so we're back to the Doom Dimension.**

**Yumeí: I apologize for flinging everyone into space.**

**Volt: Well, look who we found.**

**Ash: *groan* Did you _know_ how long it took to find you?! I hate space. There's no end to it!**

**Yumeí: SPAAAAAAACE!**

**Ash: *sniff* Yes, we are in space. We need a telescope.**

**Dream: I call Portal 2 reference.**

**Ash: Volt! We have to find a telescope, and Yumeí help you if you call me a thieving blackbird!**

**Volt: I'm not going anywhere.**

**Ash: Actually *snaps finger****s* now we are.**

**(Both disappear)**

**Dream: Alarming fast, actually.**

******Yumeí: Stop it, PotatOS.**

* * *

Something was poking Lync's shoulder. He slapped it away, but the insistence of the jabbing became even more frequent-and annoying.

He opened his eyes and suddenly, all memory of what had happened came back. Alice, Hydron, the Death Bomb, the amethyst dome. Another nudge landed on his arm.

Lync whirled to look at what-or who-was prodding him so insistently. He found himself face-to-face with a young human girl. Her black bangs almost covered her bright green eyes, and Lync felt a thrill of fear run through him as he recognized her.

"Stop sleeping," Yumeí told him, brushing her bangs aside with a single sweep. "We have stuff to be doing."

"What are you doing here?" Lync blurted. Yumeí put on a mock thoughtful face.

"Well, it _is_ my second home, so why in the world would I spend time here? Don't I have Vexos to fight? Oh wait, I'm not a resistence member."

_Not a resistence member, my foot_, Lync thought. Yumeí had messed up more plans than any of the others combined. She was a complete nuisance, and worst of all, she never stopped. Never slowed down to let anyone catch up.

"Anyway, come on," Yumeí said, holding out a hand to help him up. Lync took it grudgingly and pulled himself from the ground. The instant their skin made contact, Lync felt as though he covered with fire. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

Yumeí let go of his hand, and motioned for Lync to follow. Grudgingly, he did so. They passed the mysterious dome, and when they rounded the corner, found a large stone castle. Yumeí continued to walk, but Lync froze, trying to take in the grandeur of the building; it appeared to have been carved from a mountain-by hand.

"Hurry up!"

Lync was suddenly seized by another burn, making him yelp. He leapt almost a foot in the air, then jogged to catch up.

They passed the castle and entered a nondescript hole in a cliff. The dark passageway widened into a cavern, lit with bright white light. Lync sheilded his eyes until they adjusted.

_Look out floor_, he thought. _Here comes my jaw._

In the center of the cavern rested a large pile of mechanics. Lync recognized, as only someone with his talents could, the pieces as belonging to Altair. Somehow, Yumeí had found and preserved him.

"You'll get to work on him later," Yumeí said, gesturing at Altair's parts. "I just wanted to let you know that he's fixable. I'm working on getting Aluze's pieces too, but I still have to wait for the coast to be clear."

"Are you trying to bribe me?" Lync asked, thinking, _Because it is working_. Yumeí shook her head.

"There's been a change in plans. Just wanted to show you where I was keeping him. Anyway, come on. I have some things to show you."

Lync trudged after her. A feeling deep inside him told him that he was sealing his own fate. But he kept walking.

* * *

**Dream: There you have it. You're finished.**

**Lync: Yes!**

**Yumeí: The only problem we have now is getting back into orbit.**

**Mylene: I swear, I was not intending to fling us off the Earth's surface.**

**Yumeí: Maybe if you quit worrying about me, then we'd get pulled back onto the planet.**

**Lync: I suddenly have a question.**

**Dream: What?**

**Lync: How are we all breathing?**


End file.
